American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in an effort to reach out to regular citizens, will visit the Arab city of Bethlehem Tuesday but has no plans to visit Rachel's Tomb at the edge of the city or nearby Jewish communities in Gush Etzion. "I wanted, in my own voice, to be able to say to as many people as possible, the United States sees the establishment of a Palestinian state ... as absolutely essential to the future of not just Palestinians and Israelis," she told reporters.
In Bethlehem, she will talk to academics and professionals. Secretary Rice is holding similar meetings with Israeli Jews who do not live in Judea and Samaria.